This invention relates to food processors, and, more particularly, to a handle for the pusher plate of a shredder attachment to a food processor which is adapted to cut and shred food product such as vegetables.
Commercial food processors having attachments for shredding food products such as cabbage and other vegetables generally comprise a housing, a circular slicer plate disposed within the housing which is mounted to a rotatable plate holder drivingly connected to a power unit, and a feed chute for receiving food product to be processed. A pusher plate, movable within the feed chute, pushes the food product into the housing and against the rotating slicer plate for cutting and shredding the food product. The shredded food product is then expelled from the housing through an opening at the bottom which leads to a discharge chute emptying into a bucket.
In some prior art food processors having shredder attachments, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,583, a handle is essentially permanently affixed to a guard or pusher plate which pushes the food product through the feed chute and against the rotating slicer plate within the housing. The problem with this design is that the shredder food products tend to collect on the pusher plate and its connection to the handle, and it is difficult to effectively clean these areas of the shredder attachment without completely removing the pusher plate from the feed chute. As a result, extended delays are involved in clean-up of the shredder attachment and the equipment cannot be used to process one type of vegetables or other food product immediately after another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,132 discloses a shredder attachment for a food processor in which the problem of cleaning the pusher plate handle and its connection to the feed chute is addressed and one solution provided. In this patent, a shredder attachment for a food processor is provided having a circular slicer plate disposed within a housing and a feed chute mounted to the housing which is movable between a closed position against the housing and an open position spaced from the housing. The shredder attachment is operable with the feed chute in the closed position but not while it is in an open position. A pusher plate for urging food product received within the feed chute toward the circular slicer plate is releasably and rotatably mounted to the feed chute by a handle. The pusher plate is formed with a hollow, cylindrical sleeve having an internal keyway or slot which mates with a key formed on the handle. A pair of spaced ears or brackets are mounted to the feed chute, one of which is formed with a bore and slot which receives the handle so that the key formed on its exterior surface extends through the slot in the bracket. In order to pivotally mount the pusher plate to the feed chute, the pusher plate is inserted between the spaced brackets and pivoted to a position wherein its internal keyway aligns with the slot in one of the brackets. The handle is then inserted through the bracket into the sleeve so that the key in the handle mates with the keyway in the sleeve. The process is reverwed to remove the handle and pusher plate from the feed chute for cleaning.
A safety feature is also provided in the food process or disclosed in the '132 patent. With the feed chute in a closed position against the housing, the extent of pivotal movement of the pusher plate is limited by the engagement of a stop mounted on the handle with a surface of the housing. This prevents the keyway of the pusher plate sleeve and key of the handle from aligning with the slot in the feed chute bracket so that the pusher plate cannot be separated from the feed.
With the feed chute open, the stop on the handle rod no longer contacts the housing and allows the handle and feed chute to be pivoted to a position wherein the key on the handle rod aligns with the slot in the bracket at the end of the mounting sleeve. In this position, the handle can be withdrawn from the sleeve of the pusher plate allowing the pusher plate to be disengaged from the feed chute for cleaning.
The arrangement for mounting the pusher plate to the feed chute of a shredder attachment for a food processor disclosed in the '132 patent is advantageous in that the pusher plate can be completely removed from the pusher plate for cleaning, but only when the food processor is not operating. One limitation of the handle mounting arrangement in the '132 patent is that the handle is capable of being mounted on only one side of the pusher plate. The internal slot or keyway formed in the cylindrical sleeve of the pusher plate extends only partially inwardly from one end of the sleeve. the handle rod is thus insertable into one end of the cylindrical sleeve for mounting on only one side of the pusher plate. This can present problems in some applications where the food processor must be operated in an area with limited space. Additionally, a handle mounted on the righthand side of the pusher plate can be awkward for use by lefthanded operators and vice versa.